It is well known that in the case of collision or other accident, fuel lines, carburetors, or other instrumentalities of an internal combustion engine on an automobile are broken and the flammable gasoline or other fuel is ignited so that an explosion or fire occurs. In some cases, although damage to the automobile or injury to the occupants is initially relatively minor, the resultant explosion or fire has in some instances, caused severe injury or even death.
As a consequence, certain devices have been designed to interrupt the electrical power circuit to the engine of the vehicle in the case of a gross impact such as occurs during a collision or other misadventure but such previous designs have been expensive, complex, and not always operative so that their use has been practically unacceptable.